Trust Me
by cloti93-4evah
Summary: Starts with the incident of Tifa falling from the bridge in Nibelheim. Storylines are then altered, nothing to do with monster fights! So... AU.
1. Trust

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of FF7, nor FF7 itself!

**Trust Me**

_She wanted to see her mother again. Her mother couldn't have left her after seven years of her life. No. She wouldn't leave her just like that. Memories of a certain legend- about spirits lingering at the mountains of Nibelheim entered her mind. That gave her an idea. She would go across the bridge and find her mother, and then her family could be whole again. Her father would be whole again. Everything would go back to the way it was. _

_Making up her mind, she was filled with determination to prove the legend true- and find her mother once again. _

_She reached for her clothes cupboard, getting out of the all-black ensemble of clothes that she wore to the... the funeral of her mother. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and she couldn't see the clothes that she was reaching for. Kicking aside the funeral clothes, she put on some clothes that were more appropriate for climbing and walking. She wiped off the tears in her eyes and took in deep breaths to calm herself down before she did anything else. Thoughts appeared in her head and she contemplated to call a certain blond friend of hers to accompany her just in case anything happens. So, she made her way to the window of her room and pulled aside the curtain to reveal the small space that separated her house from his._

_Tifa pushed her head out of the window and made sure that no one was passing by, and then she called him._

_"Pssst... Cloud... You there?"_

_The 30 seconds that took him to answer was filled with anxiousness on her part. Why, of all days, did Cloud Strife- her very secret but also best friend- had to be so tardy in answering her?_

_"Hmm..?" Cloud was looking really bleary, as if he had just woken up from his sleep. _

_Of course he was sleeping. She did not see him at the funeral, as Nibelheim tradition forbids any children to attend funerals, with the exception of immediate relatives. She found the tradition weird and nonsensical. Cloud wanted to be there for her, but the only way that he could comfort her was through the phone. Windows weren't as practical, unfortunately._

_"I'm going to the mountains to find my mother's spirit. Will you come with me Cloud? Please?" She was hoping that he would agree to her idea._

_"Wha- what mountain, Tifa? And why would your mother's spirit be at a mountain?" Cloud replied._

_"Nibelheim mountains, silly! I heard from somewhere before, about spirits gathering at the mountains. I want to find my mother, Cloud. You'll help me right?" She said with a hopeful note._

_Cloud, at that point, started to hesitate._

_"But isn't the mountain dangerous? There are Nibel Wolves around, and you may get lost along the way..." Cloud trailed off and tried to find more excuses to prevent her from going to the mountains. It was truly a dangerous place, especially for a 7-year-old like Tifa. Cloud couldn't help her out if she got into trouble- he was young himself._

_"Arghhh, forget it. You, Cloud Strife-" She pointed at him. "-are a coward!" She said in a bout of childish anger. She made an annoyed face, closed her window and pulled her curtains down. She put on her boots and sneaked her way out of the house. It was easy to sneak out- mainly because her dad was to devastated to care about anything. She took a glance at her father who had his back to her on the couch and made a silent promise._

_"I'll get Mom back, Dad."_

_XXX_

_Tifa certainly left Cloud in a state of shock and confusion. When Tifa closed her window and pulled down the curtains, the 8-year-old continued to sit idly on his bed, still staring at the closed window. Being a friend with Tifa for 2 years now, he could predict her next move. TIfa was far too adventurous for her own good. Cloud was sure that she would take it upon herself and make her way to the mountains. After a few minutes, he came to a decision._

_Cloud leapt off his bed, seeing that his legs were still too short to touch the floor. He really wondered when will he be tall enough for his legs to touch the floor from his bed? Hmm, no. Wrong focus. He cleared his thoughts about his height issues, reached for his house phone and dialled a number. After a few rings, his call was received._

_"Johnny?" Cloud asked timidly. _

_"Well, well, what a **pleasant **surprise, Strife. Called here to ask for a good kick?" Johnny gave a snorted laugh before he got cut off by an angry Cloud._

_"Listen, I don't care about your ranting now. Tifa is in trouble and you have to help her."_

_"What trouble? She was at her mother's funeral, wasn't she? She should be at home now. Geez , Strife you're so paranoid."_

_"No, I'm not." Cloud said defensively. "She did get back, and then she said she wanted to... to find her mother's spirit in the Nibelheim mountains. You've got to help her."_

_"Strife, Strife. Enough of **your** ranting. You and your family are up to no good, so don't ever expect me to trust **you**. Plus, how would you know what Tifa wants to do? She's not your friend, and she **never** will be a friend of a traitor. That's that." With that, Johnny ended the call with a squeaky high voice._

_Cloud rolled his eyes and put the house phone in place before making a quick decision. In a few minutes, he was running out of his house towards Nibelheim's mountains._

_XXX_

_Tifa counted herself lucky that she didn't encounter any monsters on the way to the bridge. Now that she was near, she was having doubts about the authenticity of the stories. Images of her sad father's face flashed through her mind, and she regained the strength to carry on. _For Dad.

_Tifa stood in front of the beginning of the bridge for a few moments before mustering the courage to step on the first plank, then the second and so on. When she was a quarter way through, she heard a high pitched childish voice that she recognised instantly. She turned to look at the source of the voice._

_"Cloud? What are you doing here?"_

_"Tifa! Don't go any further! It's dangerous!"_

_"B- But.. I have to find my mother's spirit... So my Dad will be happy, and I can have a happy family again." Tears started to well up in her eyes again. She wanted to run to her best friend so bad, but her other side- the side which wanted to have a happy family caused her stand firmly on the bridge and not budge._

_"Tifa, if you go there, you don't know what will happen to you! Your dad will be sad if you get hurt."_

_"But you don't know what it's like to be alone! You have a perfect family, Cloud. You have your mum and dad with you, but I lost my mum, and Daddy doesn't care about me anymore! If I can find Mum, I will!" She said defiantly._

_"Tifa, please trust me... We pinky-sweared remember?"_

_"... Pinky-swears are for kiddies!" She said without meaning any of what she said._

_"We are kiddies!"_

_"I.. I don't trust you!" Again, she did not meant what she said. But that sentence itself was enough to stop Cloud from persuading her. Tifa, on the other hand, had tears in her eyes. She felt angry at herself for treating her best friend so horribly, but what's done could not be undone. She turned away from Cloud and ran across the bridge to get to her destination, but she never made it._

_XXX_

_Cloud was hurt really deep by his best friend. He couldn't function after she said she couldn't trust him. Then, his mind dimly registered Tifa running towards the other side of the bridge, but the old, rotted ropes gave away, bringing Tifa down along with the planks._

_Cloud's eyes instantly bulged in shock and horror._

_"Tifa!"_

_He ran to the beginning of the once existed bridge and peered down. Mixed emotions of fear and relief filled him as he found Tifa hanging on to one of the planks which was still connected to the beginning of the bridge._

_"Cloud, help me!" _

_Cloud wasted no time and extended his hands towards Tifa. She took his hands as her lifeline and grabbed on tightly to it. He was trying his best to help her. Tifa's grip was strong, but his other hand that was supporting his body weight started to falter, and he didn't have enough strength to pull her up. As fate would have it, his other hand slipped from the ground and the rope holding Tifa gave away at the same time, sending them plunging into the valley below them._

_

* * *

_

Okie, so this is the first multi-chaptered story that I'm writing/typing. Please leave your comments, or what you think about this story. It's just the beginning, and hopefully I'll slowly improve! Thanks for reading!

Urm... So... in this chapter Tifa is seven, Cloud is eight, so they're still immature and don't really understand the implications of what they say...

By the way, this story deals with electric companies. Hehe


	2. Job Hunting

**Chapter 2**

Her slightly calloused hands reached for the annoying alarm clock and slammed the button that stopped the noises instantly. She dropped back to her bed and gave a small, tired yawn. She regretted working overtime the day before. She scolded herself mentally for giving in to Barret's plea to help manage the bar when it was his shift so that he could bring Marlene to the Gold Saucer. She wouldn't have given in, if Marlene didn't look so excited. The next time she sees Barret, she'll be demanding a leave. She was confident about getting it, because Barret had a real soft spot that was hidden by his size and manners.

Another turn on the bed with her eyes still closed, she shifted her thoughts to the dream that she just had a moment ago. Those dreams that she had... They came in fragments and mostly incomplete. Did it have anything to do with her past? She didn't remember anything before she was seven. Her father said that she fell down and got her head injured. The loss of memory came with it, apparently.

She would have believed her father without a doubt. But whenever she brought up her dreams, his eyes would usually change from loving to annoyed, sometimes even angry. Why? Why would her father have such a reaction to something that may have been connected to her memories? Tifa didn't want to be suspicious of her father, but his mannerism when it comes to her past never failed to puzzle her.

And that lock of blond hair... Did she just made up the kid or... was it a chocobo? Well, she hoped that she'll dream more of it to really understand her dream better.

Tifa remained in her thoughts for a few minutes. She liked to be on her bed, half-asleep and thinking of her past, present or anything that popped up in her mind. This habit had caused her to be late for classes on weekdays, and work on weekends. However, she had no more classes since she graduated from Midgar University last month and as for work... Work! Tifa gave her clock a quick glance and had no doubt that she's late. Again.

XXX

"#$%^! Where's that girl when you need her?"

"Oh, calm down Barret. I'm sure she's just sleeping away since you made her take your shift yesterday."

Barret gave the green-eyed woman a glare.

"How did'ya know 'bout it?"

"Easy peasy. Marlene." Aerith replied before taking a sip of her coffee.

"So what are ya doin' here since ya already knew that she'll be late? Jesse, Biggs, Wedge! Get around and make ya asses useful!" Barret took a glance at Aerith before proceeding to fulfil his customer's order. At the back, Jesse, Biggs and Wedge scrambled to do _something_ as long as they got to avoid Barret's yelling.

Saturdays at Seventh Heaven were very very busy. In the morning of weekdays, businessmen and women went there to get a cup of coffee to start the day. At night, Seventh Heaven turned into a bar, but it was an organised bar. If you got too drunk, sayonara.

"Nothing. Just wanted to see her and convey a super duper good news to her. I'm sure she'll be ecstatic to hear about it. I kinda envy her already."

Just as Barret was about to ask the pink-clad Aerith what she was talking about, the bar door opened with a loud bang that caused the patrons of the bar to look over.

"Sorry Barret I'm late!"

Tifa rushed to behind the bar, not noticing the stares that she gained from those around her. She didn't mind. The stares in the morning were more of curiosity. It was the stares that she gained at night that gave her the chills. Tifa proceeded to make the drinks that were scribbled on the order paper and the bar slowly regained its life again. Jesse, Biggs and Wedge were in charge of getting the customers' orders. They really enjoyed their work although Barret can be quite scary at times.

It wasn't until after Tifa finished making the first drink that Barret spoke.

"Damn, woman. Y'know how long I've been waitin' for ya?"

Tifa gave a wry smile. "Sorry, Barret. I overslept. Must've been because of the OT and I had to get my résumé ready."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever gurl. Thanks for helpin' out yesterday."

"No problem Barret."

When Tifa first encountered Barret, she was scared of him. However, she got to know that he was a kind man with a big heart and deep love for his adopted child, Marlene. Barret was the only one who would take her in and give her a decent job. The only source of income that she had after her father died was through Seventh Heaven. She was really grateful to Barret for taking her in, and because of that, she'll never be able to turn down favors like taking care of Marlene and manning the bar when needed. It helped her to get through her studies from the last year of High school through university. Slowly, she got attached to the 'Big Marshmallow'.

She turned to Aerith as Barret resumed his job and gave a cheerful smile. "Hi, Aerith. Sorry I didn't greet you just now. Mind was in a real mess you know?"

Aerith gave a genuine laugh.

"It's okay. You were always like that since elementary school."

Aerith was probably one of the few real friends that Tifa had. She had been the one to defend Tifa from the constant teasing of the bullies in Midgar Elementary. Aerith could because she was a few years older than Tifa, making her one of the more senior ones and... Aerith's wrath was scary.

Tifa gave Aerith a mock angry glare and continued helping Barret with the orders. "So what brings you here today?" She asked as she skilfully made a glass of Corel wine. After all, she came out with it. Why would a customer order such a drink in the morning she did not know.

Aerith leaned forward on the counter.

"I heard that you're looking for a job... So I've pulled some strings-"

"-'Pulled' Zack you mean?" Tifa gave a teasing smile and Aerith blushed.

Tifa had known that Aerith had a thing for Zack. Zack went to the same elementary school as them. Anyone living in Midgar would have to go to Midgar Elementary because it was the only elementary school available. And as for now, Zack and Aerith worked in the same company.

"I didn't pull him, but yeah I asked some help from Zack. Since Zack is such a sweet talker and such, the president is willing to interview you for the job as a personal assistant!"

Tifa was happy. It really wasn't easy to get a job in a large place like Midgar. And with her qualification as a fresh graduate, she wondered if anyone would take her in at all.

"Aerith, I'm really glad to hear this, but... I just graduated a month ago. No one would take a fresh graduate as a personal assistant..."

"Oh, don't worry. After all, I did pull some strings, so it would be easier for you to pass the interview. Besides, many of the personal assistants quit, so anyone who would take up the challenge is welcomed. I would have taken the chance, but I think I'll melt if I do..."

"What? Melt? Why did they resign anyway? I mean, a personal assistant just keep up with stuff, plan the schedule and such.."

Aerith hid her small blush and ignored Tifa's earlier questions.

"They said that he's too angsty and scary, while some were fired for urm... trying to seduce him. I told you I would have taken the job, if not for the fact that he's so damn attractive!" That caught Tifa by surprise.

"Oh, yeah? What about Zack then?"

Aerith gave a small smile.

"I don't know. I mean, I am still very young! I'll give myself more choices. Besides, you can be my spy, you know."

"Spy?"

"Uhuh. Tell me what he likes, what he hates etc. One way or another, it benefits both of us! So what do you say?"

Tifa had a contemplative look on her face. She wasn't sure an angsty boss was good... but given how hard it was to get a job in Midgar and the fact that Aerith did pull some strings... She would give it a try. Tifa looked away from the drink that she was making and gave Aerith her determined look.

"Okay, I'll try. What is the name of the company, by the way? I need to do some research and stuff to prepare for the interview."

"Great! Interview is next Thursday. It's Strife Electric Company."

* * *

Okay, so Chapter 2 is up! Yay! I actually wrote another Chapter 2 that would have been very different from this world, but at last, I was more satisfied with this.

Btw, If any of you have any suggestions better than 'Strife Electric Company', please do tell me. The word 'Strife' must be in it, though.

Oh, constructive criticism, comments and thoughts are welcome.


	3. Meeting

**Chapter 3**

Tifa was thoroughly confused by Aerith words last Saturday and she began to question Aerith's preferences in men. Sure, President Strife of the Strife Electric Company did not look bad, but he wasn't 'damn attractive', and neither did he look angsty. From the way he greeted and ushered her to a chair, he sounded like a true gentleman. He also had a very fatherly kind of look to him. That made Tifa weirded out, because according to her friend, he had many secret admirers._ Maybe they were in for the money..._ She shrugged her thought out of that. _ No, Aerith will not go after a man just for his money!_

"Miss...-" The blonde man looked at her resume. "-Lockhart?"

Silence.

"Miss Lockhart?"

Tifa snapped out of her thoughts and mentally scolded herself for spacing out during her very first interview. She managed to focus and gave a quick "Yes?" and a smile as a reply.

The owner of Strife Electric Company chuckled. "Spacing out, I see?"

Tifa blushed. "I'm sorry, Sir."

"It's okay. I really get that a lot from new interviewees. But please, don't feel intimidated." He leaned back in his chair. "We really don't bite."

The raven-haired girl gave out a nervous laugh. _Darn, really shouldn't have spaced out while he was reading my resume._

"Well, Miss Lockhart. The interview is supposed to be conducted with another interviewer. It looks like he'll be late, so shall we start then?" He looked crossed with a little hint of subtle anger in his eyes.

Not daring to go against him in case of blowing a chance to get a job, Tifa agreed.

He started by asking her background qualifications: where did she get her education, co-curricular activities, her daily obligations and of course, her job experiences - in which she had to unpleasantly state that she was a bartender.

Don't get it wrong- Tifa did love her job as a bartender in Seventh Heaven, but it was the name of the job- bartender- that made everyone judge her in an instant. She was sure the words that came across their minds when they see her were 'promiscuous', 'flirt' and any other negative things that they could connect to a bartender's life. In truth, it was much more different than that.

To Tifa, society is all about judging, so she paid no heed to how they thought of her. After all, she knew what it was like to be a bartender. It was a job where she made drinks, made friends and contacts that she never knew she could know. There was chatting and sorting off life problems that seemed trivial. It was a very selfless job, she thought. The community ought not to stereotype jobs.

President Strife raised his eyebrows at her current occupation. "A bartender? At where?"

"At Seventh Heaven. It is located at Sector 7." Tifa hoped that he wasn't one to judge a person by his or her occupation.

"Is it owned by a certain Barret Wallace?" He asked, interested.

"Yes." Tifa replied, getting more excited and wanted to ask him how he knew Barret, but decided against it after she gave some thought. It was her interview, not his.

The room remained a little silent. The ringing of the phone could be heard and there were some chattering noises along with the sound of the printer working coming from outside the room. President Strife took his time to read through her resume again. While he was doing that, she looked around the President's office. There were flowers on the desk. Some looked real while others looked artificial. There were papers organised neatly in one pile, waiting to be read. Her eyes darted around some stationery, the smooth table wood and finally came to rest on a framed picture that laid flat on the table, its picture facing upwards. Tifa could mildly make out the faces. One of it was the President, she was sure. There was a woman, _his wife_, she thought_. _And another young silhouetted face at which Tifa could only see the unruly blonde hair that stuck out in all directions. Just as Tifa was about to move a little forward in her chair to see the face more clearly, President Strife looked up from the resume that he was reading. He gave her a smile, which she returned bemusedly.

"Well, I see that Zack really had a good pick. But there is something important I must ask of you before I make a decision." He put the resume on his table, slightly covering the photo which Tifa was mysteriously attracted to. "Do you approve of the use of Mako as a source of electricity?"

To that question, Tifa did not need to think.

"I'm sorry to say but no, sir, I do not." She answered sincerely. President Strife seemed impressed.

"And why is that so?"

"First, I do think that Mako is hurting the growth of the planet. The effect that it gives to Gaia is far more devastating than using natural resources as a source of electricity. I am sure that you are aware, President Strife, that the growth of plants are affected by the lack of Mako in the ground. One day, we may find ourselves with no food because we rely on them. Secondly, I really think that ShinRa Company is using Mako to control and monopolise the world, looking at how the rate of Mako harnessing is rapidly progressing. Thirdly, I... I lost a very important person at the Mako plant explosion six years ago."

The door to the office opened.

"So you go around hating Mako to slither your way in the company and mix your personal issues with work?" A deep voice sounded from the doorway behind Tifa.

"Cloud!" President Strife called his son in a warning tone. "Manners, please!"

Tifa turned around from her seat to see a young blonde, probably a year or two older than her leaning against the frame of the door with his arms folded, unruly hair and blue eyes looking at her with an impassive face. The eyes bulged a little though, when it came in contact with her face, an expression which Tifa took as shock. The blonde man at the door quickly turned away and moved to close the door. Tifa gave a puzzled look and sat back in her seat, pushing her anger back down because another person had to release his anger first.

"Why are you late and how long have you been outside the door eavesdropping?" President Strife demanded in a tone where his anger was badly hidden as the younger blonde took a seat at a chair behind the same desk, opposite of Tifa. He was unaffected by President Strife's anger.

"I'm late because I want to." He said defiantly as his eyes roamed around the room and occasionally, to the girl sitting opposite him and his father. Tifa caught his occasional glance and wondered what was wrong with him.

"I had been listening when you asked her the Mako question." He reached forward to grab any random object, which was a pen and started fiddling with it.

"Where are you from?"

His question was so sudden, Tifa thought it wasn't meant for her.

"Midgar is the only home I've known. I've forgotten everything before I was seven." She stopped there, not intending to continue to whoever that rude guy might've been.

The younger blonde had a thoughtful look on his face. Tifa gave his face a quick assessment. He was definitely a spoilt brat, she thought. He wore work clothes, quite proper... Sheltered by his father, a surely defiant guy. And of course, the father was President Strife, seeing the way they interacted. _Hmmm... That would make the rude jerk... What was his name again? Cloud? Plus the Strife... Cloud Strife. _Tifa thought that the name sounded familiar and tried to recall why.

Any thoughts of wondering why halted when she saw his lips moved, no audible words coming out. She thought he muttered the word "Seven..." under his breath. He said nothing more.

President Strife gave an expression that Tifa could not categorize and looked back at Tifa.

"I am truly sorry for what he said there, but rest assured, it's just his manners. Now Tifa,-" Cloud's electric blue eyes shot up.

"You said that you lost a very important person in that explosion?"

Tifa nodded, trying to keep her sadness from showing. She felt uncomfortable from a certain scrutinizing gaze.

"Parents? Or lover?"

The younger blonde's eyes twitched.

"Parents. Or rather, parent. My dad was involved. My mother..." She shook her head lightly. "I can't remember her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." President Strife said apologetically.

"No, it's okay." She smiled weakly.

"Miss Lockhart, I hope that you are aware of how we, as professionals, distinguish our responsibilities in the company from our personal matters. So the important question is this: if a person dear to you were to be involved in an accident involving SEC, would you hold personal grudge against us? We need to have your honesty here."

Tifa shook her head slightly. "No, I would not. To me, ShinRa has not done any justice to the planet. The explosion gave me more reasons. I do not see myself surrendering to the ways of SC anytime soon."

President Strife seemed satisfied while Cloud had a smirk plastered to his face that made Tifa felt like she had just gave a cheesy speech.

"I am very intrigued by your stand, so I will give you a chance at this job. It is not easy to be a personal assistant, and I hope you will make sure that I would not regret hiring you. What do you say Cloud?" President Strife looked at his son. He just nodded. And there was it again, another weird look that President Strife gave his son, as if agreeing is the last thing that the younger blonde would do. President Strife looked away from him and cleared his throat.

"Then it is decided. You will start work next week: Monday to be exact. I'm sure your friends will brief you about the company so you don't have to worry too much."

"Thank you very much, sir." Tifa said, grinning ear to ear all the while ignoring the looks given off by the- she had to admit- rather handsome interviewer that she hoped she'll never meet again.

"If you don't mind, can I ask a question?" She stated respectfully.

"Why, yes of course. What is it?"

"Who will I be assigned to as a personal assistant?"

"Oh, the vice-president of course!"

"The vice-president..." She said softly under her breath. _When the father is the President, the son is..._

She broke off of her contemplative look and gave Cloud a look.

"A- are you..."

"Yes I am."

Tifa thought she was going to die.

XXX

It was a little while after two when she excused herself from the President's office where the interview took place. She had... mixed emotions. Sure, she nailed the job. But serving as the personal assistant of that... that... person gave her the chills. _Why? _She clutched her files closer to her chest.

"So how was it?"

Tifa was startled and almost jumped from the shock of a face intruding her line of vision.

"Aerith! You scared me!" Tifa raised her file and hit Aerith on her arm lightly. The brown-haired woman laughed.

"So? How?"

"C'mon Aerith, leave the poor girl alone."

Tifa turned to see a well-built man, with a spiky black hair.

"Zack!" Tifa leapt and surrounded Zack in a warm, friendly hug. Aerith pouted.

"Hey! Why don't I get a hug from you?"

Tifa released Zack and laughed.

"Because I haven't seen Zack for two years! You've been coming to the bar quite often! Nevertheless..." She reached out for Aerith and the hug became a group hug. None of them gave a care about the looks that they were getting. The General Manager hugging a random girl and the Secretary? It looked... wrong in their eyes.

After a few seconds, they broke the hug, smiling to each other.

"So Zack, why didn't you drop by the bar or something? Marlene and Denzel had been asking for-" she made a bracket gesture "-Aunt Aerith's other half."

That gained Tifa two smacks on her arms.

"What? Teefs? What had you been teaching them? Or what had they been teaching you?" Zack said laughing, _and embarrassed,_ Tifa noted. Aerith looked away slightly, hoping no one heard.

"Nyways, not that I didn't want to visit. I've been busy, you know, the company stuff." The raven-haired girl nodded understandingly.

"Understooded."

"Stooded-under." Zack and Aerith echoed. All three of them burst out laughing. It was an insider's joke that they had shared since high school.

"Hey, don't you guys have to work? I mean... everyone else seems to be working."

"Nah, it's _their_ working time, our lunch break. Guess you ought to know more about the schedule in this company."

"Mm hmm. Guess so. I take that it's your lunch time now?"

"Yeap. Until three o'clock." Aerith chirped in.

"Then I shall not bother you then. You guys need to eat."

"Na- ah." Aerith waggled a finger in front of Tifa. Not till you tell me about the interview. I see you've been accepted!"

"H... How did you know?" A perplexed Tifa asked.

"News travel fast around here. Especially when there's Yuffie around here, right?" Zack raised his voice a little towards the end. Aerith gave a knowing look while Tifa was puzzled.

"Yikes. Caught again?" A short haired woman- or based on her personality- girl, crept out from behind one of the cubicles. She turned to the owner of the cubicle who was busily typing in his seat. "Thanks, Chuck." She received a grunt in reply and made her way towards the trio.

"Yo, Zacko, Rithy! How ya doing?"

"Fine, Yuffie. Even when our friendly conversation was spied on by some self-convinced ninja brat." Zack replied sarcastically. Yuffie ignored it and turned to Tifa.

"So you're the newbie here today?"

"No, not exactly. Next Monday. Till then, I'm still an outsider."

"Nonsense! You'll be in soon enough! So I'll do an introduction." Yuffie cleared her throat. "I am Yufiie Kisaragi, the single white rose of Wutai! You can call me Big Sis Yuffs!" She held out her hand to Tifa who accepted it despite her being quite uncomfortable. "I'm Tifa."

While Yuffie continued to ramble on the names that Tifa could use to call her, Aerith whispered to Tifa.

"Don't be puzzled. She's younger than you. She takes anyone who comes into the company later than her as a younger sister or brother."

Tifa gave out a small giggle at that. Yuffie stopped rambling.

"Now, now. What did Zacko's lover said to you? Spill! Spill it I tell you."

Tifa constrained her laugh as she replied. "Nothing." The laugh came out anyway, with Zack and Aerith joining her.

"What-oo! You guys are laughing at me! Argh! Forget it! Cloudie is nicer to play with! Hmph!" Yuffie made her way to her next target.

"Is she angry?" Tifa was worried that Yuffie might hate her.

"Nah, she's cool. Gives the company some things to laugh about. Come on. Let's go eat." Zack suggested and they made their way down, chatting away on the lift.

The lift area was right near the receptionist. Tifa thought back of how the unpleasant blonde-haired woman keep looking and examining her up and down as if she was some meat on display. There was even a drama that happened while she was waiting. Apparently the paperboy- whom the blonde woman authorized herself to give orders to- brought in a cup of too-hot coffee, so she refused to accept it and ordered, as in **_ordered_**, not asked the paperboy to either buy another cup, or blow it cool.

The drama earlier on gave Tifa a very bad expression on whoever that receptionist was. So she was taken by surprise at the cheery voice that came out of that receptionist.

"Hey, Zack. Where are you going?"

"Lunch."

"Well, why didn't you inform me? You could've eaten in the canteen or I could've got ready and ask someone to replace me." She fluttered her eyes seductively.

Tifa gagged and Aerith rolled her eyes. Whoever that was, she was very repulsive.

"I don't see why my schedule has anything to do with you, Scarlet." Zack said coolly and continued walking towards the entrance/exit.

While passing Scarlet, Tifa gave a smile- she was always trying to be polite- and received flying daggers from the blonde woman instead.

XXX

"So, you haven't said yet. How was it?" Aerith inquired.

"It was okay. President Strife asked about the usual stuff and my thoughts on Mako. But there was a stupid jerk who butted in and said that I mixed my personal life with work. I think he implied that I tried to snake my way in by pretending to hate Mako. I mean, who does that?"Tifa replied with a passion. Seriously, she wasn't so shallow as to pretend about something that she didn't mean.

"Oooo... Shall I tell lover boy that you called him a stupid jerk?" Zack teased, nursing his drink while Aerith laughed along, eating her fries one by one.

"Wha- Zack? You really will tell him?" Tifa paled.

"Hmm... How can I keep things away from my best friend? Let's see..."

"Wait. You're his best friend? Impossible!"

"They met in SOLDIER." Aerith stated.

"SOLDIER? The one funded by WRO? Zack, was it the one that you went when you were 18?"

"Yes and no. Initially, I went for National Service. Some of us were picked to be entered in the SOLDIER programme. It deals with more advanced and military styled training, tougher and harder than National Service. Met lover boy there."

"Sheesh. Stop calling him lover boy already. He doesn't deserve that kind of title." Tifa took a bite of her burger.

"Awww, Teefie, no need to deny it. I can see that you're liking him already!"

Tifa almost spit out her food. She regained her composure and swallowed.

"Zack, how could you say that? It's so not true! Urgh!" She was at wits end. If Zack decided to tease, he would set on it till the only thing that you could do was to ignore it.

" 'Lover boy' aside, What did that receptionist say about canteen and stuff?"

"Oh, normally we'll just pop by the canteen to have our lunch. Today is an exception though, since you're here." Aerith shared. She took a gulp of her orange juice and continued. "Normal office workers- the backbone of the company you may say- have two lunch breaks- one longer than the other. They need to rest, you see. So they start work at 8, break at 11, and lunch at 1.30. The lunch break is longer. Those who are slightly higher in rank like Zack and me have irregular lunch hours, while the top and second top also differs. There are even different sections of dining area. "

Tifa took all of Aerith words in, and a question popped in her mind.

"Which category do I fall into?"

Zack and Aerith turned to each other and one asked the other to tell her. Finally, Zack gave in and spoke.

"When you eat is more or less controlled by lover boy, since you're his personal assistant. Naturally, you'll be eating when and where he eats, etc. But you could still join us, if you're free or if we meet at the canteen or something."

"What? Arghhhh... Spending my time taking care of his schedule like he's a baby and eating lunch with him? Urghhhhh..."

"Tifa, you'll get to know him, I'm sure. He has a cool exterior that not many can break, but he's an okay guy. Besides, being a personal assistant is to assist. You know how busy SEC is trying to help Gaia from ShinRa. Slowly, you'll get used to it." Zack offered encouragingly. Tifa felt guilty for criticizing the vice-president of her soon-to-be company. Maybe he should give it a try. _He did seem like he had a wall around him._

"All right, I'll try." She smiled to Zack and Aerith.

"Hey, Zack," Zack replied with a muffled "Hmmm?" due to the food in his mouth. They still had 20 minutes so no worries.

"That Scarlet gal sure dig you eh?"

"Oh, please. Don't get me started on her."

Tifa was slightly disappointed for not getting the reply that she wanted. She thought that Zack would maybe sound surprised, but he was all calm. Aerith voiced her opinion.

"She goes gaga on every single handsome guy that she sees." _Ah, so you do think that Zack is handsome._ "Especially those who are high in ranking. Oh, a word of advice to you, Tifa. Now that you're Cloud's personal assistant and all, be careful of Scarlet. Many of his previous personal assistant who were girls got picked on by her, till the president was almost going to forbid any woman from becoming Cloud's personal assistant. Don't know why he didn't fire Scarlet though."

"Yeah. Cloud is so fed up with her, he sometimes need a CCTV to monitor whether she's there or not." Zack added.

"Okay. Thanks for your advice." Tifa said unsurely and gave a smile. "Eat up, you two still have work to do."

* * *

SEC= Strife Electric Company, SC= ShinRa Company

That's Chapter 3! Wanted to cut it into half, but seeing the very short last two chapters, this is something like a compensation! =)

Special thanks for those who reviewed:

Chap 1- **Knight of Wings, ReNeVIerE07**

Chap 2- **Knight of Wings, FBCT9, The Fallen Angel24**

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	4. No worries

**Chapter 4**

The bar was experiencing slow business when she entered it. There were only a few people nursing their drinks, mostly coffee, tea or soft drinks, but one or two of them were drinking beer. She found Barret behind the counter, making drinks.

"Hey, I can help you if you want." Tifa offered as she placed her files on the counter.

The dark man turned around and smiled.

"Naw, it's okay. You took ya leave today anyway. How'd it go?" He said as he turned back to mixing the drinks.

"It was... okay. But I guess- no, I know... I'll miss helping out around here..." Tifa answered, her eyes unfocused. She was pouring out her innermost feelings and she couldn't think straight. Manning and helping around the bar had been her job for a few years now. It was as essential as bathing- or even breathing itself!

Barret brightened up. "Ya got da job? Then wats wrong? Heard dat Strife Company has da best policy an' stuff! Hey Jesse! Table 4!"

"Yessir!" Jesse answered as she neared the counter. "Hey Jesse." Tifa greeted as she made eye contact with the bandana-wearing girl.

"Hey Teefs." She greeted back, smiling. Tifa turned back to Barret while he took a seat behind the counter. "I think I'm just sad, you know, not helping out in Seventh Heaven anymore. You guys have been so great to me, helping me throughout all these years. I wish that there's some way that I can pay you guys back for what you've all done for me."

"Pshaw, girl! Hold it up! Good ol' Barret can manage the bar! I've Jesse an' the others to help me! Ain't nothin' to worry 'bout!"

"Thanks, Barret. You're the best. But still..." She trailed off.

"Damn right I am! Tell ya wat- ya can come an' help when ya feel like it! Meybe when u're free or somethin' ya can come an' help!"

"I'll try when I have the time, though I doubt it. Zack and Aerith seem to be quite busy with the company stuff."

"Hmm... Zack? That pink gurl's man? He's there too eh? Good for ya, I'll say. Importan' to have some company an' stuff."

"Yeap. Definitely important. I'll come by when I feel like it, then. Maybe I'll get to see Marlene. Oh, and Denzel when Elmyra visits. She's coming here more often nowadays." Barret's dark skin showed a hint of red.

"Yup, ya can do dat."

Tifa gave Barret a teasing look and he turned away.

"Hey, Barret. Do you know President Strife personally?"

That caught the bar owner's attention.

"Sorta. Wat 'bout it?"

"Nothing, he sounded like he knew you when I said I was working here. Care to tell more?"

Barret sighed. "When Strife broke outta ShinRa an' opened his company, he did visit diff' sectors to see the condition of da slums. Quite a nice man there. Came here once a while. Been a long time since I seen 'im."

"Wait- He was from ShinRa?"

"Ya didn't do ya homework eh? Yea, he broke from ShinRa. Didn't approve of Mako."

"Oh, guess I didn't do my homework." She gave an embarrassed laugh. _Strange, never came across that before._

"Nah, not many people knew dat he was in ShinRa. Say, ya want a drink?"

"No, thank you." She declined politely. "I have to go now. Just wanted to tell you that I got the job. So I'll see you tomorrow?" Tifa took her file and stood up from her chair.

"An' da two days after dat. Bye gurl. Wanna say hi to Little Marls?" He asked.

"You do that for me. Sat hi to Biggs and Wedge too! Didn't see them just now."

"Da normal gurl! Lazin' around again."

The raven-haired woman who was still in her work clothes giggled. Biggs and Wedge... Must be at the rest place dozing off again.

"Thanks, Barret!" She said as she made her way out of the bar.

XXX

The last three days of working in the bar were a few of the days that she cherished the most. Tifa Lockhart suddenly realised how much she would miss the bar, the rush during the weekends and her friends in the bar. Barret's gruff voice calling everyone to "get off ya' asses", Jesse's girl talk, Wedge and Biggs' constant fight over the two barmaids , Denzel and Marlene saying "ewww" to almost anything the other does and Barret and Elmyra's slowly but surely growing romance, hinted by their shyness. She was quite ashamed with herself for acting like it was the end of the world.

Maybe it had to do with the sudden realisation that her life was changing. Things would not be the same again. Or maybe, she just wanted to enjoy something that she was going to leave behind. Maybe... it had something to do with her leaving her parents. Or rather, her parents leaving her. Both of them left her too soon and without a warning. If she knew that she might not see any of her parents again, maybe things would have gone differently. Maybe she would've committed all those simple acts of love shown by them deep into her memory. Maybe she wouldn't have been defiant to her secretive father. But all those self pity were meaningless.

So she picked herself up and forced herself to face the world. After all, she could not stay as a barmaid forever. Sooner or later, she would've had to leave her Seventh Heaven 'family' to live life for herself. For her family.

XXX

Tifa took a deep breath before reaching out to the glass door, pulling it open. Then she took a first step, second step, third, fourth and so on until she reached the lift. Press. Wait. Inhale, exhale. Lift came. One step, two steps, three steps, four steps. Stop. Turn around. Find. Level 57. Press. Wait.

XXX

She took a step onto Level 57, the highest level in the building of Strife Electric Company. It was still early, but there were already a few of them present in their own cubicle, typing, printing or discussing company matters. She recognised a few of them from the day of her interview, especially Chuck, who 'sheltered' Yuffie when she was doing some eavesdropping that day.

Then it occurred to her: She forgot to ask where her cubicle was! So Tifa took a look around, but all of it seemed to be occupied. Seemingly embarrassed to be the only person standing without a cause, she decided to look for Aerith's office. That is, if Aerith had one. Walking around, trying to look casual, she stumbled across the office that she was trying to find. Tifa knocked the door, and got no reply. So, she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned. _Locked._

Sighing, she dimly registered two hands landing on the door at both sides of her head. Her body jerked straight with shock, and immediately turned around to discover that her face was inches apart from another, its beholder having beautiful blue eyes that were like crystallized diamonds, so so entrancing and so beautiful with a tinge of... green? As mesmerized as she was, she scooted closer to the door, putting more, albeit small distance between those eyes and her face.

Things stayed still for a moment. She remained trapped between the door to Aerith's office and Cloud's arms. Her mind went completely blank and she wasn't able to think. Even her breath caught in her throat. It wasn't until a minute later she regained her speech ability.

"Wh- What are you doing?" Her voice had a breathless and nervous quality to it.

"What are _you _doing?" He retorted, inching his face closer to hers without removing either of his arms from the door.

Tifa panicked and quickly ducked under one of his arms and broke out of the arm prison. The blonde pulled his hands away from the door and kept it in the pockets of his slacks.

"I wanted to find Aerith and ask her where my cubicle is. No one told me. I forgot to ask." She replied, using her free hand to put her hair behind her ear. It was one of her moves when she was nervous.

He turned to lean his side on the door, facing her.

"You can always ask me, you know."

Tifa scoffed. "I didn't see you just now." _Wouldn't have asked you even if I did._

Cloud said nothing. Instead, he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her. When she didn't budge, he pulled slightly harder, all the while trying not to hurt her in the process. Tifa, who was puzzled, gave in and let him pull her. She didn't know where he wanted to pull her to, until he paused at a door with his name on it.

Cloud Strife

Vice-President

Tifa's eyes bulged. Why was he taking her to his office?

It was at that moment that Tifa realised the eyes that tore away from the computer and stared at them. She also registered the very silent condition of the workplace. The place where she stood felt like a stage.

"Go back to your work." Cloud ordered the others as he turned the doorknob to his office without looking at them. The workers immediately typed and discussed frantically, pretending that they had seen nothing. He released the former barmaid's arm as he closed the door behind him.

"What on Gaia are you doing?" Tifa asked him as she stood there, not knowing what to do now that she was in his office.

"Bringing you to your cubicle." He replied nonchalantly.

_My cubicle?_ Tifa took a look around. What cubicle? There was no cubicle in sight as she surveyed the room. All she could see was a big office that looked fairly like the President's office. So there couldn't be a cubicle in his office right? Wait is that a-

"That's your desk." He pointed to a, well, desk. It was not too big, not too small. It looked just nice.

"My desk..." She said softly as she place her bag on the floor next to the desk and ran her fingers on it, savouring the feel of the good quality wood while Cloud watched on. Realisation dawned upon her and she turned around to face Cloud.

"Does that mean that I have to share your office?"

"Yes, unfortunately I have to share my office with you"

"Oh, so you share your office with every single PA that you ever had." She said sarcastically. Heaven knows what he does in his very own office. _Especially when there's a PA in it_. She didn't know why, but she felt something bitter at that thought.

"Unfortunately, nope. I didn't. There was another room. But the previous PA got mad or something and started to throw stuff around the office. It was the office beside mine. Closed till I-don't-know when. Sad." He corrected her while plopping down on his chair, resting his head on his arms which were folded on the headrest of the chair.

"Yeah, sad. I have to share the office with you."

"Nope. It's **I** have to share **my **office with you."

Tifa shook her head dismissively and shrugged. "Anything you say."

"Okay enough bickering." Cloud leaned forward and reached for a file in front of him. He stood up and made his way to Tifa's desk.

"This is the file that will act as a... planner, you can say. Basically, your job is to arrange meetings, take phone calls, keep track of my schedule and fight girls who'll pick on you."

"Fight girls? Why would they want to pick on me?"

"Because you work for me, remember? Be careful, will you? Especially of Scarlet. She's hard to handle."

"Geez thanks. Although I think it'll be completely unnecessary."

Cloud smirked. "Whatever you say. Don't say I didn't warn you." He made his way back to his desk.

"No problem." She took the file that Cloud had placed on her desk and browsed through it. "Though I don't think that the warning will be needed. Hmmm... Your schedule is planned until when?"

Cloud shrugged from his seat. "I don't know. It's been a while since I read it."

_20th June, 15th July... 17th July- Gotcha._

Tifa read through the programme of the day. Her eyes bulged in horror.

"You had a meeting with the president..." She looked at her watch. "10 minutes ago!"

"Oh, really? No need to rush. He's right next door. I'll make my way there now." Cloud replied coolly and grabbed her wrist as he walked past her desk.

"H- Hey, what are you doing?" She pulled her wrist towards her, trying to break Cloud's grasp.

"You're coming with me, of course." He didn't release her wrist.

"What?"

"Hm... You're really a blur one. I said you're coming with me."

"What for?"

"Because you're my PA. You're supposed to attend every meeting that I have, and find any available dates for the next meeting in certain cases. So let's mosey now, ok?"

* * *

There, chapter 4 for you people! After reading some really sad fanfictions, I wrote to get my mind off those. Those were heartwarming, and depressing at the same time. All my fault for reading those. Urgh...

Anyways, special thanks for those who reviewed the previous chapter!

**Cloud Zen (+alert), ReNeVIerE07**

Those few words brought a lot of encouragement.

And thanks for reading!


	5. Confusion

**Chapter 5**

From the moment Cloud's office door opened to reveal the dark-haired woman and the blonde-haired guy till the time where the two disappeared into the President's office, eyes around the level followed them. The reaction of the vice-president of Strife Electric Company towards his new personal assistant spawned discussions on level 57. Why was he acting like that? Did he lose his cool? Were the days of being unattracted by the opposite sex over?

All the sprouting theories were left outside the door and were promptly discussed whenever the top two people in the company weren't there to hear it. Aerith and Zack, though, noted with interest the rumours circulating after half an hour of the newbie's arrival. Though they were quite near the pinnacle of the pyramid, they did join the others from time to time. Yuffie was no doubt also a part of the conversation.

That was outside the President's office.

In the President's office, however, things were not as interesting.

"I've buzzed you eons ago, Cloud. And I see you've been dragging Miss Lockhart all over the place!"

He saw the dragging indeed. President Strife's window was one which was a total see through window to allow him to survey the workers and summon whoever needed to be without moving. On the other hand, Cloud opted for a tinted window which allowed him to see the others, but the others couldn't see him. Plus some blinds. That man loved his privacy.

"I wasn't dragging her, I was merely guiding her. She was lost and I helped." He slouched in his chair. Tifa did not move from where she was standing. The President noticed it and asked her to take a seat, which she declined politely. She knew the one reason Cloud pulled her there. It was to avoid serious confrontation and verbal bashing that he might experience from his father's wrath. The blonde knew that his father would not lash out too many details in front of a stranger, thus cutting the length of lecture.

"Cloud, as your father and the President of SEC, I want to see you grow and take over my place one day! If you can't be punctual for a simple meeting, I don't know what the future of SEC would be!"

"I don't care." Cloud replied, indifferent to his father's concern.

_Liar._ Tifa could see through Cloud's act.

President Strife released a sigh and slumped back into his seat. He seemed weary.

"Cloud, please resolve your issues."

Cloud replied with silence. The tension in the air was so thick, Tifa could imagine fainting from it.

"What is it that you want to meet me about?" Cloud finally asked after a period of time, discarding the earlier conversation.

"Dinner."

"Dinner? You asked the previous PA to put a meeting about dinner in my planner?" Cloud asked, perplexed.

"Well, yes. Party and dinner mashed into one. ShinRa will be holding it this week. We are asked to attend, along with some employees." President Strife answered simply.

"Why would I- or even you- attend a dinner by ShinRa? If the people find out about this, what would they think?"

"You haven't been reading the papers, have you Cloud? It was announced that all electric companies- particularly major ones- are invited. It's supposed to strengthen ties and disrupt the rivalry that the public has been theorising about."

"But da-" The young man's protest was cut off.

"No excuse, young man. I have things that need my attention so you'll need to take my place. Is that clear?" President Strife was stern, and his voice delivered a silent ultimatum. Cloud's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Fine. I'll go for that scumbag's dinner party if it makes you happy." With that, Cloud got up from his seat. "I'll make my move now." He grabbed Tifa's wrist as he made his way to the door. She didn't protest. A scene wasn't necessary- the tension was enough to kill.

XXX

"Why are you so harsh to the President?"

Cloud's office was filled with so much dangerous air that roamed since coming back from the President's office. As soon as the door to the office closed, none of them moved, although Cloud did release her wrist. They stood in front of the door for a long moment. It took Tifa a lot of courage before she vocalized her question.

At her enquiry, his eyes grew icy. Tifa noticed the ring of green in his eyes shone brighter than before.

"Harsh? Who are you to think I'm harsh? You- You don't know me! You don't know what he did to Mom! You don't know! You- You just don't know..." The blonde man was frustrated. He moved to his table and slammed his palm on the table, creating a resonating loud sound. Tifa jumped slightly. She felt guilty. _Who am I to ask anyway? Stupid. _She willed to never poke and prod sensitive issues again.

Another bout of silence rang in the air, the only sounds that were heard was his breathing, her breathing and the sounds from outside the office. Tifa looked at her feet, clutching her files close to her with both hands.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

His eyes made contact with hers. The green rings in his eyes were growing more prominent and shone, giving it an ethereal effect which both mesmerised and scared her at the same time. Cloud took his palm away from the table and started to make his way towards her.

"Sorry? Sorry is all that you can say after disappearing for 15 years?" With every step that he took, Tifa stepped back. She was terrified and confused. _Disappearing? 15 years? _

The arrogant and defiant Cloud was no longer there. This Cloud had a terrifying aura. The eyes were no longer sky blue filled with life and mischievous and unreadable plans. The eyes were full of green, only a hint of the blue that it had once been.

"Do you know what hell I've been through when you left me, Tifa? Do you?"

The terrified girl bumped into the wall behind her and had nowhere else to go. She knew she was cornered. Fear coursed through her veins and her heart thumped harder than it ever had.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about." Her voice was shaky and her thoughts weren't really processing.

"Of course you don't know what I'm talking about. You were wrong, Teef, so wrong about me." He trapped her almost in the same way that he had before, but the distance between them was almost nonexistent as he rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

His breath was warm when it hit her face but it made her body shiver. When he called her by her nickname, she froze. Why did he call her that? They had barely known each other and he was pinning her against the wall and calling her by her name that only close friends used.

Although one of her hands were free to punch him like how she learned from Master Zangan- her martial arts teacher- she couldn't bring herself to. She didn't know what refrained her from doing that, even when the adrenaline rushed through her body. Instead, she clutched to the file that she had tighter, her knuckles beginning to turn white. Her eyes were shut tightly when his forehead leaned against hers.

Her brain dimly registered the incoherent mumbling that came out of his mouth like a chant. Then she felt warmth that fell on her cheeks. It felt... like a drop of rain. Her eyes slid open painstakingly slowly. She had to adjust her vision because the face in front of her was merely apart from hers. When the image of his face focused, she wanted to cry. She wanted to cry for him. Whatever the cause of his pain, it was a strong pain that affected him deeply and she wanted nothing more than to cry for him even if she didn't know why. She slowly took one of her arms away from the file that she clutched and brushed the blonde, unruly spikes that felt so soft under her touch. As she slowly caressed his hair, his breath calmed little by little and it stayed that way for a few minutes.

"Why did you leave me, Teef?"

Tifa froze and her hand stopped stroking his hair. She knew she had to set him straight before he got it all wrong. "Cloud, I'm not who you're talking about. I'm Tifa. Tifa Lockhart. We've only met each other twice." Her eyes focused on the trail that was left by the single tear that escaped his eye and were distracted when his eyes opened to reveal equal amount of green and blue. She gave out an inaudible gasp as his eye colour became uneven. _Disturbed._ The green and blue seemed to be fighting for dominance over its owner. Finally, the blue emerged and the green became a ring that it previously was.

"Cloud?"

Cloud's breath hitched and he separated his forehead from hers. His eyes showed insecurity and confusion. It roamed over Tifa's face before settling itself right at her eyes. He removed his hands that were supporting him on the wall and stumbled back a few steps while Tifa looked on, puzzled, worried and scared. The hand that previously stroked his hair went back to clutching her file close to her.

Cloud didn't reply as he made his way to his desk and plopped down into his chair. His elbows on the table, he planted his face in his hands. Things stayed at it were for a while until Cloud calmed down and removed his face from his hands.

He took a few files from his desk. The face that once shed a tear returned to its original impassive look. He stood up and walked to the door, only to stop beside Tifa who was still glued to the wall behind her. He spoke without looking at her.

"Look into the date of the dinner. Make time for that day. You're coming with me."

He paused for a while.

"And nothing happened just now."

The blonde turned the doorknob, leaving the room and a confused Tifa behind.

* * *

Chapter 5! =) It was half finished when Chap 4 was posted. I'm thinking of stretching the length of each chapter because... I think that it may be too short to show any progression in the story.

Hopefully it wasn't a disappointment.

Special thanks to **Iskra revoir** for reviewing**.**

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**FullMetalBec, Writer Chica**

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Thanks for reading! Reviews are very much welcomed! It gives me an idea of how to improve and also boost my morale.


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